Can’t read your child’s handwriting? Don’t worry, you are not alone who complain about their kids' untidy, illegible handwriting. It seems a common echo from parents and teachers that nowadays children do not have the quality of handwriting that their counterparts used to have in the past. Montessori of La Puente CA is sharing some tips here to help you improve your child’s handwriting.

Show them how to work within the lines:

Lines can help children get their proportion correct which in turn makes their handwriting more readable. If they are having trouble with it, you can use primary handwriting sheets that have colored lines as guides for each letter. Encourage them to follow the lines while writing and tell them that the small letters need to stay within the colored lines and only capital letters should go from the top line to the bottom line. Preschool in La Puente CA teachers always suggest that kids should trace over the letters with a pencil before they start writing.

Holding the pen or pencil correctly:

Having a good grasp is the first step to writing. Many a time if attention is not paid to get a good grasp in their early formative years, children would not have neat handwriting in the later years. You can teach your child to hold the pencil firmly with the thumb and the index finger while using the middle finger supporting it.

Make writing practice fun:

Montessori La Puente CA, teachers always try to make the writing practice time fun by giving students some colored pencils. Instead of giving just letters or words to copy, they try simple word puzzles, anagrams, a game of hangman or ask their students to brainstorm lists around the theme to give writing practice a purpose.

Strengthen fine motor skills:

Improving hand strength and finger dexterity can help your child get more control over the pencil. You can do some activities like playing with play-doh, threading with beads onto pipe cleaners, poking straws into holes, making pasta necklace or weaving around cardboard with your kids to strengthen their fine motor skills.

The writing pace:

Besides knowing how to use the lines and write, speed is also a determining factor in making toddlers’ handwriting legible. Some kids are in the habit of writing too fast, while others write very slowly. In Preschool situated in La Puente CA, teachers keep a close eye on their students’ writing speed and set the timeline for a writing task.

Less pressure while writing:

Putting a lot of pressure on the paper, while writing, not only spoils the handwriting but also stresses the fingers of the kids quickly. So, the child should be instructed to hold the pencil lightly but firmly and not to put much pressure on the paper while writing.
Apart from following the above-mentioned tips, try to find out the underlying problem of their illegible handwriting, provide them with the right stationery, give them enough writing practice and time to improve their handwriting. More than anything else, your positive encouragement and patience will help your child to do the necessary improvements.